Grade-indicator for vehicles.



D. H. CROOK.

RADE INDICATOR FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. 1916.

Patented June 5, 191?.

pnrrnn snares aren @Wtmw DELBERT H. 0300K, OF SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA.

enann-mnrcaron ron vnmonns.

To all :wkom it may concern: 1

Be 1t known that I, DELBERT CnooK a citizen of the United States,residing at. San Pedro, in the county of Los Angeles a grade indicatorwhich will operate irrespective of the trans-- verse-and longitudinalinclination of the vehicle under normal conditions.

It is another object of this invention to provide a grade indicatorcontrolled by a avity operated mechanism and adapted to Indicate theangle of grade in a manner which makes it possible for the driver todirectly read the angle of inclination of the high-way. i

A further object is to provide means within said indicator for makingthe indicating medium insensitive to road shocks.

Another object is to provide means whereb'ythe sensitiveness of thedevice may be adjusted in relation to the riding qualities of the carupon which said device is applied.

Other ob ects will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my indicator showing the indicating hand andits graduated dial.

Fi 2 is a view. in horizontal section on the line 2- -2 of .Fig. 1.

Fi 3 is a view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2 and through thedash-pot.

Fig. 4is' a view taken on the line 44 of Fi 2 and in a reverse directionfrom Fig. 3.

%ig. 5 is a view in detail of the spiral spring and its mounting as usedin my device.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates the main housing within whichthe mechanisln of my indicator is mounted to operate. The housing is, inplan, substantially square and is formed of u per and lower walls 11 and12 and side wall wall 12 does not extend parallel to the wall 11 itsfull length, but is bentat an angle and toward the wall 11 at 15. A back'6 is provided for said housing and is seen d there,

Specification of Letters Patent.

s 13 and 14. The lower- Patented v1 une 5, 121

Application filed April 10, 1916. Serial No. 3 0,175.

to by means of screws 17. The housing 10 is adapted to be mounted withinor upon a dash-board 18 of an automobile in any suitable manner andsaid. housing preferably extends outwardly from said dash-board'at anangle to facilitate in reading the indications upon a dial 19. The dial19 is circular and acts as an end wall for the housing, it being securedthereto by means of countersunk screws 20 which engage bolting lugs 21formed within the housing 10. The dial portion 19 is formed with anannular flange 22 which extends outwardly therefrom and is formed withthreads 23 upon its outer periphery. The threads 23 are engaged by acomplementary thread portion formed within a flange 21 of a bezel 25which is adapted to secure a glass or crystal 28 within position overthe face of the dial.

A hand 27 is secured intermediate the crystal 26 and the dial face 19 bymeans of a shaft 28 upon the squared end 29 of which it is fixedlymounted. Movement of saidv shaft causes the dial pointer to pass over aseries of graduations 30 upon the dial face. The shaft 28 is rotatablysecured within the housing within bearings 31 and 32 which are formedwith bores 33 and 34: of a diameter to receive the reduced end portions35 and 86 of the shaft 28. The bearing 31 is formed of a single piece ofmetal bent upon itself and at right angles and adapted to pass throughan opening 37 in the side Wall 13 of the housing, there being secured bymeans of a screw 38. The bearing 32 is of similgr shape and is mountedin like manner to the inner face of wall 13 by means of. a screw 39.Rotation of the shaft 28 is bad by means of a worm-wheel {10 securedupon said shaft and which meshes with a crown gear 41 mounted 'upon atransverse shaft 42 and secured thereto by means of a set screw 43. -Theshaft 42 as here shown is mounted upon adjustable pivot bearings 42 andextends at right angles to the shaft 28 and is when mounted within thecar, stands suh stantially vertical, this, however, not being" essentialto its operation, and has mounted in reciprocal relation thereto aplunger 16 connected loy means of rod 4:? to a rocker arm which is fixedupon the shaft. 42 and held in position by'means of set screw d9.

52., in relation to the passage 51.

Without the coiled spring 53, the indicator hand 27 acts sluggish at themoment of change in grade, and the slight lost motion, without whichordinary gears cannot be made, will cause the hand 2'? to tremble. Thecoiled spring furnishes the required acceleration, causing the hand torespond instantly.

The coiled spring is not in tension'when the indicating hand is at .zerowhen the instrumentis standing level and the pendulum weight 4.4vertical. The pendulum is of sufficient weight to overcome any frictionof parts in the dash pot, also the force by the spring exerted anymovement of the vehicle away from the horizontal. The difference in therespective forces of the pendulum the spring is so great that theinfluence of the spring is not appreciably felt when the instrument isin motion, although it may cause a slight pressure against the movementof the pendulum at the point of changing the direction away from Zero.

However, the trembling of the hand is elfectively prevented. V

in the operation of my device, after the indicator has been mounted uponthe dashboard 1801" the vehicle and care has been level ground, thedevice is ready for exercised in insuring that the hand 27 stands atzero upon the dial when the car is upon use and its action is asfollows:

The weight id dependent from crown gear 121 which is mounted in fixedrelation to the transverse shaft 42 will normally hang downwardly and ina position directly beneath the axis of said shaft, due to gravity. Asthe car moves along the high-way the plane upon which the front and rearwheels rest will change in relation to the absolute horizontal. and dueto the fact that the weight it will at all times assume averticalposition in relation to its pivotal axis, the shaft 28 as well as thehousing and dial will pass around said axis. This action will tend torotate the worm-wheel d0 in relation to the crown wheel and this, as amatter of course, will swing the hand of the dial in master an upward ordownward direction and thus indicate the angular relation between thewheel base of the car and the horizontal.

It wili readily be seen that in order to change-of grade is made andcontinues for 1 some distance along the high-way. When this indicator isapplied to cars of different spring suspensions the amount of compression within the dash-pot' may be variedby the screw in order to obtainthe proper response from the device irrespective of the bound andrebound of the car. The spil'al spring which is mounted upon the shaft28 at all times exerts a torsional force upon this shaft and insures itsrotation.

It will thusbe seen that I have provided an indicator forlleterminingthe grade of the highway upon which an automobile is traveling whichwill not be sensitive to road shock, is positive in its operation, hasno complicated mechanism, and displays the indicator dial in aconvenient position before the driver. 1

I claim:

1. In a grade indicatorfor vehicles, the

combination with a vehicle, of an indicator shaft extendinglongitudinally in relation to said vehicle, indicating means mountedupon said shaft,- a second shaft transversely disposed to said firstshaft, gravity-controlled means mounted upon said second shaft,

means for transmitting rotary motion from said second shaft to saldfirst shaft, means connected to said second shaft whereby its rotationwill De retarded in cases of no lent movement longitudinal ofsaid'vehlcle,

and means connected to said first shaft tend ing to rotate the same ineither direction. to

f the position assumed by said shaft when said vehicleis on a levelgrade.

2. In a grade indicator for vehicles, means for indicating the grade,comprising an in-. dicator shaft having an indicator. handcon nectedthereto, gravity-controlled means acting upon said indicating means,adjust able means for preventing undesirable vibration of saidindicating means, and yieldable means tending to move said indicatingmeans to the position normally assumed thereby when said vehicle is on alevel grade, said yieldable means comprising a coiled spiral springhaving its inner end connected to said shaft and its outer end fastenedin fixed relation thereto.

'In' testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification;

DELBERTH. CROOK.

